The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : British Council promoting `global citizen'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

British Council promoting `global citizen'

By Jaideep Shenoy

MANGALORE, DEC. 23. The British Council is keen to deepen its association with Mangalore, especially in the field of education. While Dakshina Kannada district is known for its centres of education, they mainly catered to local and regional needs.

Kartar Singh, Deputy Director, British Council, British Deputy High Commission (South India), Chennai, told The Hindu that it is imperative for educational institutions based here to develop an international perspective. Institutions will benefit if they develop links with their counterparts in Great Britain, he said.

The council is keen to ensure such an understanding at the level of schools in its effort to promote the concept of "Global Citizen".

Schools in Mangalore can interact with schools in Great Britain and they can work out strategies to deal with global concerns, including war and environment related issues. Such an exercise will enable them to relate to each other, he said.

The council can facilitate this through the School Links Programme and Education Participation Programme. The mode of interaction among schools will primarily be via the Internet.

"Schools can work jointly on projects on the Internet. We can strive for physical exchange of staff and students under the programme if necessary,'' he said.

About British Council Online, the new virtual online library, launched by it recently, Mr. Singh said the Council plans to extend this facility on a subscription basis to centres such as Mangalore shortly. The council has 11 centres in India. "We are finding it difficult to expand our presence further. The online effort will help," he said.

Network mooted

Karnataka accounted for nearly 45 per cent of 30 Commonwealth Scholars in South India, Mr. Singh said. The council is keen to network them. The council plans to host their meet in March next. Such a network will enable the council to use its expertise and knowledge and take it to a larger audience.

These scholars will be asked to deal with specific agendas such as education, science, social justice, gender equality, and come out with plausible solutions.

The secondary objective of such networking is to ensure that these scholars continue to have research collaborations with U.K. Such an arrangement will benefit both the countries.

Mr. Singh said the council has a long-standing relationship with local scholars who have either gone to the United Kingdom individually or collectively under exchange or other programmes.

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